The invention relates generally to vehicle head restraints and more particularly to foldable vehicle head restraints.
Head restraints protect a vehicle occupant from serious injury due to sudden movement of the vehicle. The head restraints generally extend upward from the seat.
While the head restraints are necessary to insure the safety of passengers, at times the head restraints can present difficulties. Head restraints can obstruct the driver's view when looking rearward. If a seat is folded forward to allow a passenger to enter the rear portion of a vehicle, the head restraint may contact an object in front of the seat thus stopping the seat from fully folding down. In vehicles with seats that fold flat into the floor, the head restraint must be removed or additional stowage space in the floor of the vehicle must be provided.
A foldable head restraint has been described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/672,703, assigned to the assignee of this patent application. A foldable head restraint has a design position where the head restraint is generally upright and serves as protection for a vehicle passenger. The foldable head restraint also has a folded position, where the head restraint is rotated to allow complete kinematic movement of the seatback, or to increase rearward visibility.
While foldable head restraints offer advantages over non-foldable head restraints, foldable head restraints are generally more difficult to assemble and therefore relatively more expensive. A foldable head restraint which is easier to manufacture and less expensive is thus desirable.